


Clumsy

by Elenhin



Category: The Almighty Johnsons
Genre: Abuse, Anders lies, Dawn is nice, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-22
Updated: 2014-01-22
Packaged: 2018-01-09 15:41:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1147735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elenhin/pseuds/Elenhin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An sort of elboration I took it upon myself to make from the One Word at a Time series by Aramirandme81. Made in honor of her great work. </p>
<p>The word was Clumsy, the line:  “Anders I know I’m only your employee and maybe it’s none of my business. But there is no way you have suddenly turned that clumsy, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to just please don’t treat me like I’m stupid.”</p>
<p>Anders lies, and he really needs help. </p>
<p>As always, big thanks to Aramirandme81</p>
            </blockquote>





	Clumsy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Aramirandme81](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aramirandme81/gifts).



Clumsy

 

“Anders I know I’m only your employee and maybe it’s none of my business. But there is no way you have suddenly turned that clumsy, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to just please don’t treat me like I’m stupid.” Dawn wants to cross her arms over her chest, she wants to demand an answer, and she wants to wrap her arms around Anders to just hold him. Instead she stands with her arms hanging at her sides and just looks at him.

 

She did not notice at first, it’s well after lunch now and it’s the first she sees of it, but Anders reached to take down a box from the cupboard and the sleeve of his sweater slid down his arm. If she hadn’t walked over to hand him some papers she wouldn’t have known, because then she wouldn’t have seen the bandage on his arm. It covers his forearm almost all the way down to his wrist, and the flesh visible at the edge of it is near black with bruising, and she wonders what he would have done if the bruising had reached so far up his hand the cuff of his sweater did not cover it. He would either have lied or tried to cover it up, she is sure of it.

 

She asked about the bandage, and he lied.

 

He just shrugged and said he had tripped in the stairs to his apartment, catching his arm under himself.

  
She knows it is a lie though, becuase she knows Anders well enough to know when he lies. If he had really tripped he would have used that as an excuse to get out of work, but he would not have hidden what has to be a painful injury.

 

She knows it is a lie because his mouth smiles but his eyes are clouded and avoids her.

 

She has been told so many lies lately, and she do not know what is wrong and who is hurting Anders this much, but someone is. She doubts it is his family for once, they have been known to be physical and flare up in violence, but never like this. This is much, much worse. Anders has been showing up with strange and irregular injuries for months now. Nothing serious, and the first few times she accepted his stories, his lies she now knows.

 

_“Anders?” Dawn frowns as he steps into the office one morning with a black eye and a split lip. “What happened to you?” she steps closer, concerned but Anders just smiles as much as his lip will allow and holds up a hand to stop her._

 

_“Cupboard door was stuck,” he grins. “Had to give it a bit of a jerk to get it open, but boy did I get it open.”_

 

_“Did the door survive?” she asks and he chuckles._

 

That was the first time, but the bruises were barely healed when he came with two swollen fingers on his right hand.

 

_“Cupboard door again?” she asked, raising her eyebrows. He can’t even load the espresso machine with his hand so she steps in to help him. Wondering how he will manage working with only his left hand._

 

_“No, but close,” he states with a grin. “Same cupboard, and just a bit of an advice, heavy tin of canned peaches falls out, don’t try to catch it before it hits the counter.”_

 

_“I’ll try to remember that,” she winces. She can just imagine how painful that must have been._

 

Then he shows with a heavy limp.

 

_“Apparently they meant it when they said the floor was slippery when wet.”_

 

She frowns concerned when there is a mass of burn blisters on the back of his hand.

 

_“Need coffee to wake up enough to make coffee, next time I’m gonna drink the coffee before I try making it.”_

 

She wanted to take him to a doctor when he kept grabbing his side and cradling his ribs every time he moved. When just walking a few yards would leave him short of breath.

 

_“You heard of getting out of bed on the wrong side, yeah? Try falling out of bed on the wrong side, not a good idea Dawn.”_

 

Now he says he slipped in the stairs and she knows it’s not true, but she do not know what to do.

 

Anders is standing there, looking confused and a little worried and she hates that she do not know what to do to help him. Because it is breaking her heart to see him hurt, to know that anytime he leaves the office he might be hurt again. Yet she do not know who is hurting him or how to keep him safe.

 

Anders can only stand there, he’s made up the excuses well aware that Dawn might notice. She is quite observant so it is not surprising. He always knows he can tell her some story. He is using Bragi to do so, to make sure she will believe him. For he can not tell her the truth.  He can not tell her that he has met a woman, and that he loves her but that she loves hurting him. Rough sex can be exciting, and he has the toys to prove it.

 

He likes that, a spark of pain mingled with lust and desire, it’s exciting, but this is not it. This is a woman who enjoys to hurt, to really inflict pain. She is abusive, causing harm to both his body and mind. She makes sure to tell him how worthless he is, how he do not deserve anyone like her, and she uses tears to make him feel guilt for being worthless when he knows he is not really.

 

She do not use her hands to hit him, but she lashes out with whatever she is holding. She threw a mug of boiling tea water at him, and he protected his face with his hand. She swung the frying pan, and she enjoys to do it.

 

His parents were volatile and dangerous, but this is so much worse than that. The most dangerous part being that he do love her. He should not, he should not subject himself to it, and he should know how sick she is. Perhaps he does, but he can not help going back.

 

He wants those rare moments when her touch is tender and she kisses his cheek. He wants the few times when she tells him she loves him.

 

He wants that more than anything and he finds himself paying for it in pain and misery.

 

He knows he should not, and that he needs to get out before it’s too late.  
  
With Dawn looking at him that desperate way he thinks maybe now he can.

 

He uses Bragi to tell her the lies, to make sure she will believe him.

 

He used Bragi, and yet she is calling his bluff.

 

It should be impossible, but not to Dawn.

 

He remembers what he told Mike once, Bragi only works if the person do want it, and apparently Dawn do not want to believe him. She do not want to believe lies and at first he can not understand why. It is the easy way after all. The easy way where she do not have to wonder or care. The teachers in school always took the easy way, even without Bragi. Now though, it does not work becuase Dawn is too worried, too concerned, she cares too much about him.

 

It is frightening to realize that she really do care that much.

 

He did not think anyone could care that much about him anymore, but Dawn does. Dawn cares, and even as confused and hurt as he is, he realizes that if Dawn cares enough not to believe him, then maybe she can help.

 

She can help him break free and stop the hurting. She can help him see what is true again, if he really is worthless or if he is just supposed to think that so that it is easier for her to hurt him.

 

Dawn cares enough about him to see through Bragi’s lies, so Anders tells her, and this time he does not lie…

 

The End

 

Please comment, the Cricket is hungry....


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